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New Jazz & Blues – 8/10/2021

New Jazz:

Antonio Adolfo – Jobim Forever (AAM): “Pianist, arranger, producer and educator Antonio Adolfo grew up in a musical family in Rio de Janeiro (his mother was a violinist in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra), and began his studies at the age of seven. At seventeen he was already a professional musician. During the 60’s he led his own trio that participated in several Bossa Nova and Jazz shows in Brazil and toured with singers Leny Andrade, Carlos Lyra, Flora Purim, Wilson Simonal, Elis Regina and Milton Nascimento….As a musician, arranger and record producer he has worked with some of the most representative Brazilian names, besides having released more than 25 albums under his name.” (https://antonioadolfomusic.com/new-cd/) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

JD Allen – Queen City (Savant): “JD Allen has spent a career honing no-frills artistic expression, fashioning a catalog that emphasizes relatively brief, thematically cohesive original compositions. So it made sense that, after being initially flummoxed and deflated by pandemic-induced isolation, he would pivot to the creation of Queen City, his first album for solo tenor saxophone. In the liner notes, Allen writes that the purpose was to recenter his life in hope for the future. After listening to other solo sax records to help him chart his course, he composed nine new originals, each under four minutes, and bracketed them with four Depression-era tunes that have become standards. Though each of these 13 selections can stand on its own, they’re meant to resemble a mural, vignettes belonging to a bigger picture. As always, Allen is charismatic, resonant, and decisive. He comes into “Three Little Words” sideways and low-toned like Sonny Rollins, immersed in playful discovery, retarding and rushing the tempo or starting, backtracking, then triumphantly declaring a string of interpolated phrases. He’s more faithful to the melody on the Carter Family’s “Wildwood Flower,” smoothing its lyricism into elegance.  The nine originals are at once restless and concise, brimming with phrases that bump and skid, then pause, as on “Gem and Eye,” or contrast oscillations and flutters with elongated notes that peal upward and downward (“Mother”) or abruptly splat (“Maude”). Queen City is named after Cincinnati, where the album was recorded, and the title song features a sturdy riff and an open-hearted spirit that makes it feel most suited to become a larger ensemble piece. A second memorable refrain anchors “O.T.R.,” which may refer to Cincinnati’s historically rich Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The closing pair of standards seem chosen for lyrics that are of course never sung. Allen barely leans into the “I ain’t got nobody” lament of “Just a Gigolo,” and waits until the end to address the melody of “These Foolish Things,” which helps mentally complete its signature lyric, “remind me of you.” No matter. Faith in creative expression is Queen City’s abiding theme, and in Allen’s solo mural it’s readily apparent.” (Britt Robson; https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/jd-allen-queen-city-savant/) Click here to listen to “Queen City” from this release.

Alice Coltrane – Kirtan: Turiya Sings (Impulse): “n 1981, Alice Coltrane, aka “Turiya,” recorded nine devotional songs and privately released them on cassette tape. This offering of spiritual music was made primarily for the students of her ashram. She entitled the work Turiya Sings. It has this title because it was the first time my mother had actually recorded her own voice – the first time she ever sang in the studio. I remember being 16 at the time hearing it and asking, “Mom, is that you?” For most of the 1970s, while keeping up the full-time schedule of a recording and touring artist, and raising four children on her own, Alice Coltrane was studying and seeking out spiritual mentors, advisors, and gurus. She became more immersed in Eastern philosophies, particularly those from India and their Vedic religious practices, music, and mythologies. She traveled several times a year to India and would often stay for many weeks at a time. She learned many traditional bhajans (devotional songs) and soon began to compose her own songs to be sung in Sanskrit. The English translations were derived from her meditations. My mother would ultimately become a guru and a spiritual teacher herself and form a small community of students under the banner of The Vedantic Center. By 1980, freed from record company obligations, she began to make music exclusively for this community. The original release of Turiya Sings was a multi-layered orchestration of voice, organ, string arrangements, synthesizers, and even some sound effects. As all of her previous major-label albums showcased, my mother always arranged her recordings utilizing a grand musical vision. While producing her last Impulse release, Translinear Light, I came across some mixes of tracks from Turiya Sings that did not include the overdubbed material and only featured Alice’s voice and her accompaniment on Wurlitzer organ. As dynamic and bold as the original version is, hearing my mother sing and play in this stripped-down, intimate setting revealed the true heart and soul of these songs. In this form, I could hear every nuance and inflection in her vocal performance and feel the weight of her rock-solid pulse and timing and (dare I say it) groove on the Wurlitzer. And, most importantly, in this setting, I felt the greatest sense of her passion, devotion, and exaltation in singing these songs in praise of the Supreme. In that moment, I knew people needed to hear Turiya Sings in this context. It is always difficult to make a creative decision that is counter to what the artist originally chose for their work. It’s always a delicate matter. But as her son, growing up hearing her play these songs and songs like them every day, on the very same Wurlitzer you hear on this recording, I recognize this choice maintains the purity and essence of Alice’s musical and spiritual vision….” (Ravi Coltrane, 2021) Click here to listen to “Krishna Krishna” from this disc.

Leon Lee Dorsey –  Freedom Jazz Dance (JazzAvenue 1): “Jazz Avenue 1 is proud to announce the August 20, 2021 release of Freedom Jazz Dance by veteran bassist Leon Lee Dorsey, drummer extraordinaire Mike Clark and brilliant Cuban-born pianist Manuel Valera. Dedicated to the late Puerto Rican-born piano master Hilton Ruiz, whom Dorsey regularly played with in his last years…this collection of eight tunes highlights that same kind of bilingual musical aesthetic that Ruiz embraced throughout his amazing career. Freedom Jazz Dance is the fourth collaboration between Dorsey and Clark for Dorsey’s Jazz Avenue 1 label. While each outing has featured a different third guest, the rhythmic hookup between Dorsey and Clark has underscored those recordings. Special guest on their fourth outing, Freedom Jazz Dance, is the astounding Manuel Valera. A free-spirited musician with command of multiple idioms, the Havana native was originally a saxophonist before switching full-time to piano.” (https://lydialiebman.com/index.php/2021/07/09/new-release-leon-lee-dorseys-freedom-jazz-dance-with-mike-clark-manuel-valera-is-our-august-20-2021-via-jazz-avenue-1/) Three of the songs are Dorsey originals. The music is straight trio playing. Valera is in specially wonderful form on this set. I regret I am unable to find a performance from this release.

Falkner Evans – Invisible Words (Consolidated Artists): “Pianist/Composer Falkner Evans paints a loving musical portrait of his wife Linda in the aftermath of her tragic death: In his liner notes to the heartbreakingly gorgeous Invisible Words, pianist/composer Falkner Evans refers to the solo outing as “a record I never planned to make.” Evans’ plans were tragically upended, however, on May 19th, 2020, when his wife Linda took her own life. Due out August 13, 2021 via Consolidated Artists Productions (CAP), Invisible Words is both Evans’ celebration of Linda’s life and an integral part of the healing process he’s been undergoing since her untimely passing. Composing the album’s music became the means by which Evans returned to the piano after three and a half months spent unable to even approach the keyboard. The result, he explains, is not meant as a tribute to but a “snapshot” of his beloved wife through his own lens.“I was trying to capture the spirit of who Linda was,” Evans says. “She had a very childlike spirit and a real curiosity about life. And she was incredibly intelligent. We were together for almost 30 years and I knew her better than anybody. So this has been something of a catharsis for me and something that I’m really proud that I was able to do.”Always an artist who preferred the collaborative process of playing with a group of like-minded fellow musicians, Evans had never even considered recording a solo album prior to Linda’s death. His most recent release, 2020’s Marbles, featured a stellar seven-piece band including saxophonists Michael Blake and Ted Nash, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, and frequent collaborators Ron Horton (trumpet), Belden Bullock (bass) and Matt Wilson (drums). His intention was to reconvene that band for a follow-up recording. That all changed as Evans’ life did that day in May, and on what would have been Linda’s birthday in January he stepped into Samurai Studio in Queens with Grammy-winning engineer Michael Marciano to record his first solo date…. Moving on from such a life-altering event takes time – a lifetime, often. Evans describes his grieving as an ongoing process, one in which Invisible Words has played a vital healing role. “I’m proud of myself that I was able to do this,” he says. “And it has been a big step in seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. A year later it’s still pretty surreal. But I’m able now to move forward, and doing this album was a big part of that.” (https://republicofjazz.blogspot.com/2021/07/falkner-evans-piano-solo-album.html) Click here and scroll down to listen to samples from this release.

XNightcrawlers – Do You Know A Good Thing (Cellar Live): “One of Vancouver’s most beloved jazz groups of the past 10 years serve up heaps of grease playing the music of Eddie Harris, Shirley Scott, Hank Marr and other purveyors of greasy jazz! Usually a two horn front-line, this edition of the Nightcrawlers features only the tenor saxophone with Cory Weeds at the helm. Filling out the sound of the band is percussionist Jack Duncan!” (https://mvdb2b.com/s/NightcrawlersDoYouKnowAGoodThing/CM110820) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this disc.

Harvie S Trio – Going For It (Savant): “For five years in the mid-1980s, the 1369 Club in Cambridge, MA was a thriving, vibrant and colorful home to a diverse clientele of both jazz “newbies” and the cognoscenti.  The roster of performers was equally diverse, made up of top local and national jazz artists as well as a lucky group of amateur musicians who were able to join the “pros” on stage at the frequent open sessions featured by the Club.  For three nights in 1985 the awe-inspiring triumvirate of guitarist and Miles Davis alumnus Mike Stern, bassist Harvie S and Boston-based drummer Alan Dawson held court, delivering performances of great intensity, virtuosity and unforgettable excitement.  Jazz, by it’s very nature, is an ephemeral art and once the trio finished their three night run, it was thought the music went up into the ether to remain only as cherished musical memories to those in the audience.  However, Harvie S knew that tapes of those evenings were in private hands and together with Barney Fields of Savant Records arranged for a selection from them to see the light of commercial release.  So here are these thought-to-be lost performances back from the mists of time, capturing Harvie S, Mike Stern and Alan Dawson at the peak of their abilities.  Mike Stern was about to release his first album as a leader, Upside Downside, Alan Dawson was fresh from being the featured drummer on Muse Records’ popular Live at Sandy’s series and Harvie S had already played with greats such as Zoot Sims, Thad Jones, Gil Evans, Urbie Green, Art Farmer, Lee Konitz and Sheila Jordan, and continues to enjoy a long and extremely prolific career.  So thanks to Harvie, Savant Records and all those who helped bring this project to fruition the laws of time and space are hereby suspended – if only for the length of this recording.  Suddenly, it is 1985 again!” (https://www.fye.com/harvie-s-trio—going-for-it-aec.savt2195.2.html) Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Matthew Shipp – East Axis ! Cool With That (ESP – Disk): “Allen Lowe says: “To me, free improvisation is another form of narrative, just as linear in terms of the consciousness of moving from one place to another, as any kind of storytelling. Yes, anyone can do it, you might say (and this is an old argument in jazz circles) but not everyone can do it with purpose and form and like they really mean it. This group is the epitome of all that has changed for the better in jazz in the past 50 years, and I am thrilled to be in it.” Kevin Ray says: “This band is both exhilarating and terrifying to play with. You never know where the music will go, just that it’s somewhere exciting, and you hope you can keep up. Allen has a wonderful sense of melody, Matt is an endless font of ideas, and this rhythm section is a dream to be in—Gerald is tasteful, stunningly creative, and grooves like hell. I’m so glad to be a part of it.” Matthew Shipp says: “I am always looking for new situations to renew who I am and the language I am involved with—this group has allowed me to reboot my brain. Allen is a unique figure, who is unlike anyone I play with in any other situation. Kevin has a delicious cross section of experience over several genres that gives him a different look than a bassist who might be seen as the usual in the idiom. Gerald—who I have a history with—is different now because he has had such a deep and cross section of experiences since then. The music this group makes is unique. I really enjoy playing with these gentlemen.” Gerald Cleaver says: “To paraphrase Miles Davis, ‘This is social music.’ My take on free jazz is that it’s not free at all, rather (in my mind) many, many contexts and frames of reference held at once. Playing this set with Matt, Allen, & Kevin took me through some really nice interactions and reaffirmed for me that the roots of this music are still strong.” Karl Ackerman of allaboutjazz.com writes: “Free improvisation has a special place in a polarized world. It accepts and rejects jazz culture in an ebb and flow of spontaneous ideas. On the album Cool With That, we get the essence of the music’s history from the inside out. The quartet East Axis is new in name, but the unit has been in place for several years, and its members are well-known. Pianist Matthew Shipp, saxophonist Allen Lowe, bassist Kevin Ray and drummer Gerald Cleaver are at the top of the elite artists in creative music. (https://eastaxis.bandcamp.com/album/cool-with-that) Challenging and yet inviting. Listening to the edge! Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Chris Standring – Wonderful World (Ultimate Vibe): “Guitarist, composer, and arranger Chris Standring is one of the most prolific and successful artists on the contemporary urban jazz scene. With 13 Billboard Top 10 singles and 6 singles that reached number one on the chart, Jazz Monthly has said of Standring, “One of contemporary jazz’s most dynamic and in-demand guitarists, Standring’s sensual chill, ambient soul and retro-groove pop jazz is fashioned around his trademark hip-swaying guitar…. Now, with WONDERFUL WORLD, his 14th release as a leader, he is once again pushing the envelope of taste and style with a project that is wholly different from anything he has done before… Standring wanted the album to be lush and sentimental, and he needed players who could capture the emotional tone he wanted and also navigate the subtle arrangements. He put together an all-star band that includes Randy Brecker on trumpet, Peter Erskine, Harvey Mason, and David Karasony on drums, and Chuck Berghofer, Darek Oles, and Geoff Gascoyne on bass. All are top L.A.-based musicians except for Gascoyne, who is an old friend of Standring and still lives in England.” (http://www.chrisstandring.com/about.html) Smooth. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.

Bobby West – Leimert Park After Dark (Soulville): “Have you heard the story of local jazz musicians who tirelessly perform in their hometowns for years, known only to a select few, leave their homes for foreign lands for more opportunities and often, more appreciation, and then return home to a local scene that is now more appreciative of his or her musical gifts? This scenario rings true for 65 year-old, Los Angeles-based pianist/composer Bobby West, who returned home to record his debut CD, Leimert Park After Dark, released this month on Soulville Sound Recordings. Since the 70s, Bobby has been a mainstay on LA’s jazz scene, as a sideman and leader, and was well-respected among his fellow musicians, but not known to the general public. West left his hometown and lived and performed in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe for decades, and would come back home for brief periods. On a recent visit to LA, he fulfilled a life-long dream and completed Leimert Park After Dark, his tribute to the vibrant cultural and artistic heart of Los Angeles’ African-American community, and astonishingly, his first recording as a leader and as one of his community’s elders. The passage of time and his status as an elder were driving forces behind his decision to release the album now. The real impetus came from the fact that I’m not getting any younger, and I want to have a large body of work to continue long after I’ve left the planet,” West says. “I’m in my 60s now, and you come to a point where you have to start looking at getting certain things in order. And that was high on my priority list of things to do when we released the new record.” Blessed with a pianism that encompasses Ahmad Jamal’s orchestral approach, Herbie Hancock’s harmonic genius, and the late Chick Corea’s sounds of surprise, West is joined on this 10-track project with fellow local musicians, bassist Jeff Littleton, (Dianne Reeves, Azar Lawrence, Herbie Hancock) and Mexican-American drummer Daniel Bejarano (Herb Alpert, Mavis Staples, Dwight Trible).” (https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/483602/pianistcomposer-bobby-west-releases-debut-cd-leimert-park-after-dark) Seven of the ten songs are West originals and the style is at the heart of the jazzy blues after hours. Click here to listen to West’s “Leimert Park After Dark” from this release.

New Blues:

Michael Bloom & The Blues Prophecy – Whisper In The Wind (Self-produced): “Michael Bloom is a Chicago-born, classically-trained guitarist, singer and songwriter of classic and original blues. From Oakland, CA to Chicago, IL, Michael’s been writing and playing the blues in one form or another for most of his life. The poetic voices of Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed, and Mississippi John Hurt, the lyrical lines of BB King and Otis Rush, the rhythms of Muddy Waters and Little Milton all echo through his songs. When you see Michael and the Blues Prophecy testify on stage, you’ll feel his passion for performing the blues and his love for bringing it to the world.” (https://michaelbloom.com/) Straight-forward blues playing and singing on a combination of blues reworked by Bloom and various backing players. Bloom’s guitar offers more blues than the rock style offering many current players offer. It is wonderful to hear this blend emphasizing the older style. Click here to listen to the songs on this disc.

Ms. Jody – Cowboy Style (Ecko): Ms. Jody is back again with eleven dance songs in the mellow Ecko style. Titles range from “I Wanna Celebrate” and “Cowboy Style” to “That Dog Don’t Hunt” and “Cat Fight”. M-E-L-L-O-W through and through. Click here to listen to the title song.

Mick Kolassa – Wasted Youth (Endless Blues): “The prolific, recently relocated to Memphis, resilient Mick Kolassa returns with a smile on his face after as devastating a year as any could endure.  Kolassa lost his wife and many close friends but rather than sinking into maudlin self-pity, these losses inspire the album as Kolassa, in his own inimitable way, celebrates the transition to a ‘new life.” Once again, he teams with guitarist Jeff Jensen as his co-producer. Together they tap a large group of familiar blues artists and Memphis session greats for what they’ve dubbed The Endless Blues Band. Kolassa penned all but one of the dozen songs. That one “Darkness to Light” is a medley of Mick’s favorites – War’s “Slipping into Darkness,” The Youngbloods “Darkness, Darkness” and the old spiritual “Wayfaring Stranger.” Generously, all net proceeds from the album will go to The Blues Foundation and two of their important programs. The core band is Jensen, bassist Bill Rufino, keyboardist Rick Steff, drummers James Cunningham or Doug McMinn. Marc Franklin (trumpet) and Kirk Smothers (saxophones), take the horn parts. The others on select tracks include backing vocalist Tullie Brae, harmonicists Brandon Santini and Eric Hughes, guitarists Brad Webb, Albert Castiglia, David Julia, and Anthony Paule, pianist Victor Wainwright, violinist Alice Hasen and percussionist Vickey Loveland. Interestingly, Kolassa does not refer to them as guests but part of this large aggregation, The Endless Blues Band.” Click here to listen to the title song.

Randy McAllister – Paperbag Salvation (Self-produced): “East Texas-born, South Dakota-based Randy McAllister is an acclaimed blues/roots artist, known principally for his soulful vocals and inventive songs both topically and structurally in a genre that often is far too predictable. McAllister didn’t arrive on the scene overnight. From Texas to Massachusetts to Alaska and then back to Texas, McAllister signed with JSP Records, releasing three highly acclaimed CDs before going on to issue recordings on Severn Records (with Mike Morgan) and on Reaction Records where we hear him now. He plays drums (only on one track here) and harmonica on three of them, with all originals.  His band, especially the slide guitar work of Brand Hudspeth is quite strong. Other members include Howard Mahan (guitar on track 2), Paul Greenlease (bass), Adam Hagerman (drums) and Heather Newman (background vocals). McAllister gives us an intoxicating mix of blues and soul, flying in the face of conventions, doing it his way.” (https://www.makingascene.org/randy-mcallister-paperbag-salvation/) Unusual lyrics that  are bound to turn your ears to the lyrics! For instance, the opening song – “You’re Like Mashed Potatoes” or “I’m Doing All The Heavy Lifting”? Click here for the latter!

Tom Principato – 50 Years Live (Powerhouse): “This 2 CD collection of all previously unreleased live recordings from around the world spans Tom’s career and celebrates his 50 years of performing. There are 20 tracks in all highlighting T.P. Band members past & present including Joe Wells, Steve Wolf, Josh Howell, Tommy Lepson, John Perry, Robbie Magruder, Pete Ragusa, El Torro Gambel, as well as Tom jamming live with Sonny Landreth, Lonnie Mack, Buddy Emmons, Masters Of The Telecaster, and a rare recording of James Cotton sitting in with the Band Powerhouse in 1976.” (http://www.tomprincipato.com/)  Principato always puts his all into performances, but on some of these performances the sound is certainly below today’s standard. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful set of the times! I regret I am unable to find a sample from this release.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop